Former child actor Jimmy Bennett on Wednesday broke his silence on allegations that he was sexually assaulted by actress Asia Argento as a teenager — saying he’d been “ashamed and afraid” to speak out publicly.

“I was underage when the event took place, and I tried to seek justice in a way that made sense to me at the time because I was not ready to deal with the ramifications of my story becoming public,” he continued, referring to reports he quietly sought a cash settlement from the older actress.

“At the time I believed there was still a stigma to being in the situation as a male in our society. I didn’t think that people would understand the event that took place from the eyes of a teenage boy.”

The Times on Sunday reported that Argento had paid Bennett $380,000 after he accused her of assaulting him in her California hotel room when he was 17 and she was 37.

The website also published a photo that appeared to show the two topless in bed together.

Bennett reportedly sought a settlement after Argento, now 42, became one of the first women to publicly accuse producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault last year — kicking off the #MeToo movement.

In his statement, Bennett says her accusations brought up memories of his own trauma.

“Many brave women and men have spoken out about their own experiences during the #metoo movement, and I appreciate the bravery that it took for each and every one of them to take such a stand. I did not initially speak out about my story because I chose to handle it in private with the person who wronged me,” he wrote.